Mistakes Were Made
by Jak Pickens
Summary: Thalia knew things were going to go wrong when she 'co-captained' a game of Capture the Flag with Percy Jackson, but she had no idea just how badly (or amazingly) things would turn out. (Perlia) (Set in Titan's Curse)


**A/N: So this is super different from anything else that I've written on here, since I've mainly only written stories for Fox's** _ **Gotham**_ **up to this point. However, I** _ **L-O-V-E**_ **Percy Jackson and I've wanted to write a piece for it for so long. Like the description said, this is a Perlia fic. I love Percy and Thalia and I also** _ **LOVE**_ **Percy and Annabeth, and at some point I will be writing a Percabeth fic on here as well. However, in the meantime I feel like there aren't enough stories for this awesome ship. This story takes place during** _ **Titan's Curse.**_

 **I'll stop rambling now. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Oh, and I've never had to do this before since I've never written for a book, but here goes nothing: I own nothing of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Unfortunately, I'm not Rick Riordan :(**

 **Mistakes Were Made**

The whole thing was wrong from the get go.

When Thalia realized that she and Percy would be on the same team in Capture the Flag…against the Hunters…well…she had a feeling it wouldn't end well.

She was right.

Her first mistake was trying to be co-captains with the idiot. She should've just asserted that she was captain and that he had to deal with it. He would've acted all butt-hurt and moody about it, but at least it would've made the situation easier to handle. Yet, for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she let herself get dragged along in the co-captains idea, which ended exactly the way she'd expected it to.

However, her second much larger mistake: while she was walking around, giving out orders to the different cabins before the game, a girl from Aphrodite approached her. She always hated the love goddess, getting in the way of people's lives just for the heck of it.

But when she'd gone to school with Annabeth that fall and heard about all the stuff with her and Luke and…Percy, a new hatred was lit inside of her for the goddess. When the Aphrodite campers had approached her and said that they wanted to help, she knew that something was going to go wrong. Yet, it wasn't exactly like she could say no.

All her mistakes culminated in an idiot Aphrodite girl pointing out that Percy's armor was crooked.

Being ADHD, Thalia couldn't help herself but impulsively walk over and straighten it out for him. Percy stared at her strangely and it took her a few seconds to realize what she'd just done.

Thalia prided herself on keeping her emotions in check behind a solid, sturdy mask, but when his eyes met hers, all that stuff went right out the window. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire and she quickly turned and marched away without a word.

What in Hades was that?

She hadn't felt like that in…well…ever. She'd only been twelve when she'd gone tree-mode, so she hadn't exactly had much boy trouble before that point, and the past fall she'd attended an all-girls school.

She tried to clear her head. She'd seen Annabeth do that for Percy before in the past summer. That'd been it, she was just trying to make up for Annabeth's presence, or lack thereof. Besides, his armor was really crooked and it left gaps that arrows could've gotten through. She thought back to how cute he looked when he'd tripped and fallen earlier, which was probably when his armor had gotten all messed up.

WHAT THE HADES?

She tried to push him from her mind for the rest of the night, focusing on the task in front of her. But her heart wasn't in it. Stupidly, she'd told Percy to stay put and guard the flag.

Percy Jackson…stay put…like that was ever gonna happen.

Her team had gotten ambushed by a group of Hunters and she could only watch as Percy abandoned his post, sprinted across the river, and headed into enemy territory. She broke off from the fighting and chased after him, knowing that their heaviest hitter leaving the defense would probably mean that the Hunters would get to their flag easily. All they could hope for was for Percy to get the flag first.

It didn't turn out that way. He was just a few feet away from the river when Zoe Nightshade of the Hunters crossed it, the campers' flag in hand, claiming victory for the opposing team.

Now, let's clarify something about Thalia: she _hated_ losing. She hated losing more than she loved winning.

So, when they lost purely because Percy abandoned his post, completely disobeying a direct order, she kind of lost it. She started yelling at him in front of everyone, which was her first mistake. "Perseus Jackson!" she yelled, charging towards him. "What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?"

Anger lit in his eyes like she'd never seen before. "I got the flag, Thalia!" he responded, shoving it in her face. "I saw a chance and I took it!"

"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" Thalia shot back. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would've won."

"You had too many on you!" he countered, which was kind of true.

"Oh, so now it's my fault?"

"I didn't say that."

Thalia yelled in frustration and did something very stupid. She'd learned to not touch other people when she got emotional. Her body would build up a charge of some kind and then release it all at once.

Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, she forgot about that.

She shoved him, and he went flying. Now, normally if she was just angry, he only would've gone back a couple of feet, landed in the river, and been fine. But today, she was too worked up with anger and…something else that she refused to name.

So when she hit him, the kid soared.

He flew across the river and slammed into a massive oak tree, head first.

He dropped like a log, completely still. No one moved. No one spoke. No one breathed.

She froze and her only thought was, _'Holy Zeus, I just killed Percy Jackson…I may've just started World War Three.'_

She and Chiron rushed towards him, jumping the river and raising his head to check his pulse.

Relief passed over Thalia. Thank the gods he was still breathing.

They got him to the infirmary where an Apollo kid, the only one who wasn't too badly injured from the game, force-fed him Ambrosia and Nectar and gave him a checkup. His head was busted open near his hairline and the kid had to give him a few stitches. However, other than that and a possible minor concussion, the kid said that Percy would be fine in a couple of days.

He walked off to tend to the other wounded campers from the night's game, which was almost everyone, and Chiron gave her a hard look. She stared at the floor and mumbled, "My bad."

He nodded and agreed, "Indeed, it was 'your bad.' Thalia, you cannot let yourself be overcome by emotions, especially not in close proximity to Percy. You have more influence on him than you could ever know." She looked up at him confusedly and he explained, "Percy has never had a rival before. At least, not one who could match his raw power. I wouldn't be surprised if he feels threatened by you, especially considering your parentage."

She looked down at the unconscious boy. There were splotches of dried blood on his forehead and his hair was a complete mess. When she'd first met him, when she'd woken up, he'd been the only one who seemed welcoming. Annabeth was overjoyed eventually, but even she had looked scared when she came out of the tree. Only Percy had welcomed her immediately, seeming unfazed when she'd told him who her father was, and then helping her get adjusted to camp life. She'd realized early on that her existence was a threat to him, since the Great Prophecy was just as applicable to her as it was him and she was technically older.

How could he have hidden the fact that he felt threatened by her, instead choosing to be her friend? Would she have done the same?

She shook her head and her mouth opened and closed noiselessly, not sure what to say. Chiron put a firm hand on her shoulder and told her, "I always worried about what would happen were you two to fight. You're both too powerful, too similar. I was worried that something like this would happen and…I was worried that it would turn out worse than it did tonight. So let your actions be an example of what could happen if you two were to end up on different sides." He started to walk away, but stalled. "Thalia," he said, waiting for her to look at him before he continued. "When he wakes up, apologize. He's too important to lose."

He clopped off, leaving Thalia alone with an unconscious Percy Jackson. Normally, she probably would've pranked him or something, but this time she settled to pull a chair up beside his bed and wait.

Somewhere in there she fell asleep. And like usual, sleep meant nightmares.

She was standing in the ruins of a palace made of a black stone. Across the room sat a golden sarcophagus, much too large for a normal human being. Monsters and humans alike knelt around it, chanting in some language as the sarcophagus glowed and the lid was removed. Thalia wanted to scream. Out of the sarcophagus stepped Luke, but it wasn't Luke. His eyes were glowing gold and he radiated energy, like he was more than mortal.

However, the worst part of the scene was when a demigod in battle armor stepped up to Luke, holding a large object wrapped in a dark cloak. This time, Thalia did scream, although like most of her dreams, she was rendered mute.

The demigod in question was none other than Percy Jackson. He had a hardened, cold, bitter look in his eye. Thalia wanted to scream at him to run; that Luke would kill him with whatever weapon was in the cloth. However as hard as she tried he couldn't hear her. Luke removed a long, wicked looking scythe from the cloth, swinging it around with sick fascination. Percy knelt at his feet and Luke stepped backwards, raising the scythe high into the air and then plunging it down at Percy's head.

Thalia closed her eyes, refusing to watch what happened next.

She woke with a start, nearly punching the person who'd been shaking her shoulder.

The room was dark, obviously still night, but the lamp on Percy's nightstand was flicked on, giving her just enough light to see.

Speaking of Percy, he lurched backwards to avoid the punch, and then cringed and grabbed the sides of his head. The sudden motion probably wasn't good for his concussion.

"Nightmare?" he asked.

She suddenly realized that she was shaking and tears were running down her face. She wiped them away and nodded.

He scoffed and told her, "Funny, I slept like a baby."

She blushed and nodded, sheepishly saying, "Yeah…sorry about that."

He shrugged and said, "Its fine. I probably deserved it. At least you held back a little."

She smirked and retorted, "Who said I held back?"

He smiled and her heart skipped a beat. "Whatever, Pinecone Face," he said.

Apparently her reaction was what he'd hoped for, because he paused, scanned her face, and then bursted out into laughter. "Who in Hades are you calling…" she started, but was given a loud shush from a nearby bunk.

He threw his legs out of bed and said, "Come on."

She gave him a questioning look, asking, "Where do you think you're going?"

He tried to stand, but his legs gave out and she had to catch him. He eventually threw an arm around her shoulders for support and said, "I'm going to the lake. And you're coming with me."

"And why is that?" she asked.

"Because I can't walk on my own because _someone_ hit me with a couple million volts," he retorted.

She sighed and obliged, helping him shuffle out of the infirmary and down the hill towards the lake. They probably looked like a pair of drunks. However, they eventually reached the pier and she helped him sit down on the end of it. He dipped his feet into the cool water, and some of the color instantly returned to his face.

It was well into the early hours of the morning, but the full moon lit up the valley.

She took off her own shoes and dipped her toes in, tracing them along the surface of the water. She sighed and told him, "But really though, I am sorry about that back there."

He nodded and said, "It's really okay, Thalia," although it didn't seem genuine.

She looked out over the surface of the water and said, "Chiron told me that he was worried something like that would happen." She heard Percy scoff and she continued, "He said that we're too similar."

"Annabeth said the same thing," Percy told her with a distant look in his eye. "She told me that we'd either be best friends or we'd hate each other."

Thalia scoffed. "Well, you are very annoying sometimes," she teased.

He smiled and replied, "Right back at ya, Volts."

She playfully shoved him, which he returned a bit harder. She knocked into him with her shoulder and he got this look in his eye that made it clear she'd just made a huge mistake. There was a roar of water behind her and the next thing she knew she was in the lake, soaking wet and trying to tread water.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" she roared in defiance, kicking herself forwards and reaching out for his hand. She made it seem like she was asking for help getting out, but the second he took her hand, she yanked backwards, pulling him into the lake as well. They had a quick splash war which Percy, being a son of Poseidon, won quite easily, and then fell into silence again. Percy had willed the water to hold them up, so it still felt like they were standing while also floating, without the threat of sinking to the bottom. The water probably should've been freezing, but Thalia didn't feel a thing. Instead, she felt all warm and fuzzy inside. The rational part of her brain would've preferred to be cold.

He asked her, "What was your dream about?"

She paled. "Percy…I don't…"

"It helps to talk about them," he stated.

She looked away, refusing to meet his eyes as she spoke. "I saw Luke, but…not Luke. He was different. I don't know how or why but…"

"And?" Percy pushed.

"What's it to you, Seaweed Brain?" she spat.

"It's everything to me," he replied, taking her off guard, "because if something happens to you, everything is on me."

She was shocked into silence for the second time that night. "So…you…that's…" she stuttered, unable to put her thoughts into words.

"Thalia," he started with a quiver in his voice, "I can't do it."

"Do what?" she asked, trying to play dumb. Chiron had told her the Great Prophecy soon after she'd gotten out of the tree, believing that her aging had been slowed down, but not halted completely. Plus Apollo had said that she was around sixteen, so...

However when Chiron had told her about the prophecy, he'd made her swear on the River Styx to not tell Percy about it.

Percy sighed and told her that he'd overheard some of Annabeth and Chiron's conversations and generally pieced together an idea of what the Prophecy was. For someone who acted so stupid all the time, the kid was shockingly observant. He finished by telling her, "I can't do it. I…I don't trust the gods. I mean, I kind of trust my dad, but some of them have tried to kill me, multiple times."

For some reason, Thalia got angry. "You say that like I trust them," she retorted. "Percy, do you know why my dad had to turn me into a pine tree?" She didn't wait for an answer and continued, "It's because Hades was trying to kill me. And he almost did. You think I care about them?"

"No, but I think you're more likely to side with them than…"

"Percy," she started. For some reason, she choked up. Tears started to flood the corners of her eyes, but she willed them back and continued, "Do you really want to know what the rest of my dream was? It was you." He froze and she told him, "You were allied with Luke and you just..." Her tears overruled her will to not cry in front of Percy, and they came down full force. "You let him…" She covered her face with her hands and started to sob, something she hadn't done since Annabeth and Chiron had privately told her about Luke last summer.

Suddenly, she felt Percy wrap his arms around her shoulders, bringing her into a hug. In hindsight, the son of Poseidon and daughter of Zeus hugging in a lake in the middle of the night probably wasn't the best idea in the world, especially with the Naiads lurking down below. However, Thalia didn't care. She practically melted into him, wrapping her arms around his chest and burying her face in his neck as her body racked with sobs.

He didn't try to be soothing or tell her that everything was going to be okay. It wouldn't have felt genuine anyways. They were demigods after all. They were probably going to die horrific, terrible deaths and go on to be remembered only as casualties. Everything was not going to be alright, they both knew that.

However, for just a moment, there was a glimmer of hope for the both of them that maybe, just maybe, the future might not be as bleak as it could be.

After a few minutes, Thalia got her emotions somewhat back under control. She stopped crying, but refused to let go of Percy, standing there until she was good and ready. Finally, she stepped back and wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands. She gave him a quiet, "Thank you," and then swam back towards the pier. When she got out, she was magically dry, which confused her until Percy got out and was the same way. They sat there for Zeus knows how long, looking out over the lake.

Out of the blue, he told her, "I'd never join Luke and I'd certainly never let him kill me, at least not without a fight."

Thalia turned and looked at him, noticing just how handsome he was. And kind. And genuine. And understanding.

Now, she'd done a lot of impulsive things in her day, some of which would've landed her as an ADHD poster child and most of which she later regretted. This time, however, she didn't even have a second thought.

She grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and kissed him. It was quick; nothing like the ones you see at the ends of rom-coms or Hallmark movies.

However, it sent Thalia straight over the moon and back. He looked at her in complete shock, trying to form a sentence but his head not functioning properly. She smirked at him, quipped, "I'll see you around, Seaweed Brain," and then stood and walked off, leaving a gob-smacked Percy Jackson to try and figure out what his name was.

Halfway back to her cabin, a single name appeared in her mind.

Aphrodite…that little...

She'd set Thalia up.

Then again, was she _really_ mad or did she just want to be?

 **A/N: Ok, that was** _ **way**_ **too much fun to write. I'd like to point out that I wrote this entire thing in one sitting and that I started at 10pm and ended at two thirty in the morning on a school night. But oh well I guess. I hope you enjoyed and if you want me to continue this storyline please let me know as I'd love to explore it some more. Also, if you enjoyed or have any comments/criticism, please review! Growing as a writer is why I post on here, after all, and you can't grow if you don't prune your work. But anyways, thanks for reading!**


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